Sliding flat panel display and keyboard module

ABSTRACT

A sliding flat panel display and keyboard module for monitoring and controlling server computers on a server rack is described. The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module has an L-shaped supporting frame, a vertical sliding rail, a horizontal sliding rail, a flat panel display, and a keyboard. The vertical sliding rail and the horizontal sliding rail are respectively disposed on a vertical surface and a horizontal surface of the L-shaped supporting frame. The flat panel display couples to the vertical sliding rail and the keyboard couples to the horizontal sliding rail, so that the flat panel display and the keyboard are able to slide on the L-shaped supporting frame horizontally.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on, and claims priority from, TaiwanApplication Serial Number 94112279, filed Apr. 18, 2005, the disclosureof which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a sliding flat panel displayand keyboard module. More particularly, this invention relates to asliding flat panel display and keyboard module for a rack-mounted KVMswitch.

2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art

Information technology and the computer industry are highly developednow. People rely heavily on computer systems. Therefore, computerservers with high calculation capacity and high stability are importantfor computer systems. Due to increasingly reduced office space, areaoccupied by computer servers must also be reduced. Computer servers mustmaintain a high degree of stability to serve users, and the spaceoccupied by one computer server is therefore greater than or equal tothat of a desktop computer. Accordingly, the management of computerservers is difficult and space utilization is tightened. Some companieshave two or three computer servers, while others may have more than athousand computer servers. Computer server management and spaceutilization become more critical in companies with more computerservers.

A 1U computer server assembled on a standard 1U server rack is themainstream computer server arrangement. Each standard layer of theserver rack is about 1.75 inches (about 4.5 centimeters), so that the 1Userver and the server rack effectively conserve occupational space ofthe computer servers. Moreover, the 1U servers and racks are moreefficiently controlled because the 1U servers and racks can be centrallymanaged and easily stacked. Normally, hardware used in the 1U server isprovided with a smaller size and lower height to fit the thicknesslimitation of 1.75 inches.

For conveniently controlling the stacked 1U computer servers on theserver rack, users utilize KVM switches to connect and control thecomputer servers. Hence, the quantity of the display and keyboard forcontrolling the computer servers can be effectively reduced and theoccupied space thereof is also reduced.

However, due to the height constraints on the 1U server rack, thedimensions of the keyboard and the display have to fulfill the dimensionlimitations to operate on the server rack. Additionally, even under thedimension limitations, the keyboard and the display have to furtherimprove the strength and the safety thereof to provide a safe andreliable working environment for users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a sliding flatpanel display and keyboard module with separated sliding rails foroperating on the server rack conveniently.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a slidingflat panel display and keyboard module using rails perpendicular to eachother for supporting the flat panel display and the keyboard,respectively, to firmly couple the flat panel display and the keyboardon the server rack.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide asliding flat panel display and keyboard module with a positioning deviceto maintain safety when operating the flat panel display and keyboardand further maintain stability for storing the flat panel display andkeyboard. The operating reliability and preservation of the stability ofthe sliding flat panel display and keyboard module on the server rackcan thus be guaranteed.

To accomplish the above objectives, the present invention provides asliding flat panel display and keyboard module. The sliding flat paneldisplay and keyboard module includes an L-shaped supporting frame, avertical sliding rail, a horizontal sliding rail, a flat panel display,and a keyboard. The vertical sliding rail is configured on a verticalplane of the L-shaped supporting frame and the horizontal sliding railis configured on a horizontal plane of the L-shaped supporting frame.The flat panel display is coupled to the vertical sliding rail formoving along the L-shaped supporting frame horizontally and the keyboardis coupled to the horizontal sliding rail for moving along the L-shapedsupporting frame horizontally.

The L-shaped supporting frame is utilized to couple with a server rack,e.g. a 1U server rack, for configuring the sliding flat panel displayand keyboard module on the server rack. The horizontal sliding railfurther includes a positioning mechanism disposed at a rear portion ofthe keyboard to lock the keyboard in a predetermined position when thekeyboard is drawn out. The positioning mechanism preferably includes aspring piece and a positioning slot, and the spring piece couples to thepositioning slot when the keyboard reaches the predetermined position.

The keyboard further has a linking plate to link the keyboard togetherwith the flat panel display while drawing out the keyboard so as toeasily open the keyboard with the flat panel display. The flat paneldisplay further has a first positioning switch controlling a positioningpin. The positioning pin inserts into a positioning hole on the verticalsliding rail when the flat panel display is retrieved so that the flatpanel display can be stored on the server rack and avoid unexpectedlyopening under an unexpected vibration or force.

The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module further has a secondpositioning switch and a positioning hole. The positioning hole isdisposed at a front portion of the vertical sliding rail. The secondpositioning switch on the flat panel display couples to the positioninghole when the flat panel display is drawn out. An open angle between theflat panel display and the keyboard is larger than 90 degrees, andpreferably about 95-97 degrees, when the flat panel display is drawn outand opened upwardly.

A width of the horizontal sliding rail of the sliding flat panel displayand keyboard module can be wider than a thickness of the keyboard, and aheight of the vertical sliding rail can be larger than a thickness ofthe flat panel display so as to increase the supporting force for theflat panel display and the keyboard.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a rack-mounted KVMswitch for assembly on a rack. The server rack-mounted KVM switchutilizes the sliding flat panel display and keyboard module to couplewith a KVM switch module and a control module to enable the serverrack-mounted KVM switch to be operated in a safe and reliableenvironment.

Hence, the sliding flat panel display and keyboard module and the KVMswitch with the sliding flat panel display and keyboard module canprovide a safe and reliable operation on a server rack so as to allowthe user to work comfortably and safely.

Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A to 1D illustrate a preferred embodiment of the sliding flatpanel display and keyboard module according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1A to1D;

FIG. 3 is a preferred embodiment of the positioning mechanism of thekeyboard module; and

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the sliding module of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description is of the best presently contemplated mode ofcarrying out the present invention. This description is not to be takenin a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of describing thegeneral principles of the invention. The scope of the invention shouldbe determined by referencing the appended claims.

FIGS. 1A to 1D illustrate a preferred embodiment of the sliding flatpanel display and keyboard module according to the present invention.The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module is preferablyconfigured on a server rack 100, such as, for example, a 1U server rack.The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module according to thepresent invention includes a flat panel display 110 and a keyboard 120,and both are able to slide on the server rack 100. FIG. 1A illustratesthe sliding flat panel display and keyboard module retracted in theserver rack 100. FIG. 1B illustrates the flat panel display 110 justdrawn out from the server rack 100. FIG. 1C illustrates the flat paneldisplay 110 drawn out alone and opened upwardly, and FIG. 1D illustratesthe flat panel display 110 and keyboard 120 drawn out simultaneously. Anopen angle 130 of the flat panel display 110 of the sliding flat paneldisplay and keyboard module according to the present invention ispreferably greater than 90 degrees, and is more preferably about 95-97degrees. This allows users to monitor conveniently the flat paneldisplay 110. Furthermore, the flat panel display 110 can also avoidreducing the open angle 130 to less than 90 degrees. A small open anglemay influence how the users operate the computer, sometimes caused bythe flat panel display 110 interfering with a device handle disposedabove the flat panel display 110.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1A to 1Dto illustrate the detailed components of the sliding flat panel displayand keyboard module according to the present invention. Referring toFIG. 2, the sliding flat panel display and keyboard module include aflat panel display 210, a keyboard 220, and a sliding module 230. Thesliding module 230 is composed of an L-shaped supporting frame 236, afirst rail 232, and a second rail 234. The first rail 232 is preferablya vertical sliding rail, and the second rail 234 is preferably ahorizontal sliding rail 234 perpendicular to the first rail 232. TheL-shaped supporting frame 236 is a rigid supporting frame to couple withthe server rack and support the vertical sliding rail 232 and thehorizontal sliding rail 234 thereon. The vertical sliding rail 232 isfixed on a vertical plane of the L-shaped supporting frame 236 and thehorizontal sliding rail 234 is fixed on a horizontal plane of theL-shaped supporting frame 236.

The flat panel display 210 couples to the vertical sliding rail 232 ofthe sliding module 230 to allow the flat panel display 210 to slidehorizontally along the sliding module 230. The flat panel display 210 isthus allowed to be retracted or drawn out on the sliding module 230. Thekeyboard 220 couples to the horizontal sliding rail 234 of the slidingmodule 230 to allow the keyboard 220 to slide horizontally along thesliding module 230, thus enabling the keyboard 220 to be retracted ordrawn out on the sliding module 230.

The flat panel display 210 and the keyboard 220 independently couple torespective vertical sliding rail 232 and horizontal sliding rail 234 sothat the user may draw out the flat panel display 210 alone to monitorthe server computers or simultaneously draw out the keyboard 220 tocontrol the server computers on demand. That is to say, the keyboard 220can be drawn out from the sliding module 230, from the server rack, tocontrol the server computers with keys 224 and touch pad 226 on thekeyboard 220 according to need.

The flat panel display 210 can be drawn out from the server rack aloneand then opened upwardly (referring to FIG. 1C) to monitor the servercomputers. At this moment, the keyboard 220 need not be drawn out fromthe server rack. Therefore, the users' working path in a computer centercan be wider without the drawn out keyboard 220 blocking the path. Thekeyboard 220 has to be drawn out from the server rack only when the userhas to operate the server computers, thereby smoothing the working pathin the computer center, and allowing users greater convenience whenmoving around to check the server computers.

Furthermore, the horizontal sliding rail 234 can effectively increasethe operating stability of the keyboard 220. The keyboard 220 adopts thehorizontal sliding rail 234 to slide horizontally on the server rack sothat a width of the horizontal sliding rail 234 is not a thicknesslimitation of the keyboard 220. Hence, the horizontal sliding rail 234of the sliding flat panel display and keyboard module according to thepresent invention can effectively support the keyboard 220 for stablyoperating the keyboard 220 thereon. The width of the horizontal slidingrail 234 can be larger than the thickness of the keyboard 220 to furtherincrease the supporting strength of the keyboard 220 so as to notinfluence the total thickness of the keyboard 220. Therefore, thehorizontal sliding rail 234 can further decrease the thickness of thekeyboard 220, thereby improving the space utilization in the 1U serverracks.

The vertical sliding rail 232 of the flat panel display 210 furtherutilizes a short internal slide to increase a predetermined slidingstroke for the flat panel display 210. In conjunction with a flat paneldisplay supporting bracket 219 of the flat panel display 210, thepredetermined stroke can allow the open angle (referring to FIG. 1D) ofthe flat panel display 210 to be greater than 90 degrees, therebyconveniently controlling the server computers on the server racks forthe users. In particular, the flat panel display 210 can avoid an openangle less than 90 degrees, even when a protruding handle is disposedabove the flat panel display 210. The open angle less than 90 degreesinduces the flat panel display 210 to face a little bit downward so asto disturb the control on the server computers by the users.

On the front portion of the keyboard 220, a handle 228 is fixed thereonfor conveniently drawing out the keyboard 220. In addition, a linkingplate 229 is disposed on the rear portion of the keyboard 220 to enablethe flat panel display 210 linking with the keyboard 220. That is tosay, the flat panel display 210 is drawn out simultaneously with thekeyboard 220 when the user draws out the keyboard 220. Generallyspeaking, the keyboard 220 has to operate together with the flat paneldisplay 210 for controlling and monitoring the server computers.Accordingly, the linking plate 229 enabling the flat panel display 210to link with the keyboard 220 makes controlling and monitoring theserver computers convenient. The keyboard 220 further includes rollers211 configured on the surface thereof to keep a distance with the flatpanel display 210 so that the flat panel display 210 can be smoothlydrawn out from the sliding module 230. The rollers 211 can be configuredon the surface of the flat panel display 210, the surface of thekeyboard 220, or both the surfaces of the flat panel display 210 and thekeyboard 220.

The flat panel display 210 further includes a handle 218 disposed on thefront portion thereof, allowing a user to draw out conveniently the flatpanel display 210. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, both sides of thehandle 218 include positioning switches 212. The positioning switch 212utilizes positioning pins 214 disposed on both sides of the flat paneldisplay 210 to couple to positioning holes 239 of the positioningbracket 237 on the sliding module 230, thereby effectively fixing theflat panel display 210 in the sliding module 230 to avoid an unexpectedwithdrawal or motion when the flat panel display 210 is stored in thesliding module 230.

The flat panel display supporting bracket 219 configured on the rearportion of the flat panel display 210 further includes a positioningswitch 216, such as, for example, a movable positioning pin, to coupleto the positioning hole 239 of the positioning bracket 237 when the flatpanel display 210 is drawn out from the sliding module 230. Accordingly,the flat panel display 210 can withstand a force acting thereon when theflat panel display 210 is rotated to open or close. The flat paneldisplay 210 can be easily retrieved into the sliding module 230 bywithdrawing the positioning switch 216 from the positioning hole 239.When the flat panel display 210 is drawn out again, a spring piece 238of the positioning bracket 237 pushes the positioning switch 216 toprotrude again. The positioning switch 216 thus couples to thepositioning hole 239 of the positioning bracket 237, again, so as to fixthe flat panel display 210 in a predetermined operating position.Furthermore, the predetermined operating position can provide the openangle greater than 90 degrees, allowing convenient monitoring of theflat panel display 210.

In addition, in combining the positioning switch 212 with the linkingplate 229, the keyboard 220 is simultaneously locked in the slidingmodule 230 when the flat panel display 210 is locked in the slidingmodule 230. Unexpected withdrawal or motion to cause equipment damage isthereby avoided.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the keyboard 220 further includes apositioning mechanism 260 composed of a spring piece 262 and apositioning slot 264. The spring piece 262 is disposed at a bottom sideand a rear portion of the keyboard 220, e.g. under the slide, andpositioning slot 264 is formed on one end portion, near the user, of thehorizontal sliding rail 234. When the keyboard 220 is drawn out, thespring piece 262 couples to the positioning slot 264 to fix the keyboard220 in a suitable operation position. Retrieval of the keyboard 220 dueto an unexpected vibration or force is thereby avoided.

When the user wants to retrieve the keyboard 220, the spring piece 262under the keyboard 220 is first be pressed upward to release the springpiece 262 from the positioning slot 264. The keyboard 220 can then slidein the sliding module 230.

Furthermore, a control module 240 is configured behind the flat paneldisplay 210 and the keyboard 220 to transmit power and signals. Thecontrol module 240 further includes a cable supporting link 242, a powersupply 244, and a connector 246. The cable supporting link 242 is ableto stretch or shrink to continue transmitting the power and signal tothe flat panel display 210 and the keyboard 220 when the flat paneldisplay 210 and the keyboard 220 are drawn out or retrieved. The powersupply 244 provides a required power for the flat panel display 210 andthe keyboard 220, and the connector 246 is coupled to a computerapparatus, such as, for example, a server computer or a KVM(keyboard-video-mouse) switch, on the server rack.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a KVM switchmodule including the foregoing sliding flat panel display and keyboardmodule, thereby conveniently used on a 1U server rack. After theconnector 252 of the KVM switch module 250 is coupled to the connector246 of the control module 240, the flat panel display 210 and thekeyboard 220 are utilized to control and monitor the server computerscoupled with the KVM switch module 250.

Accordingly, the sliding flat panel display and keyboard moduleaccording to the present invention are suitable for configuration in the1U server rack, and further provide a safe and reliable environment forcontrolling the server computers. The sliding flat panel display andkeyboard module according to the present invention adopt separatedsliding rails perpendicular to each other to support the flat paneldisplay and the keyboard, respectively, thereby enhancing the supportingstrength of the flat panel display and keyboard. In addition, becausethe thickness of the sliding rail of the keyboard can be less than aheight of a conventional keyboard, the width of the sliding rail of theflat panel display can be designed greater than the thickness of theflat panel display, thereby further increasing the supporting strengthof the flat panel display. In combination with the safe positioningdevice, the sliding flat panel display and keyboard module can beoperated more safely and stably whenever the sliding flat panel displayand keyboard module is retrieved or drawn out.

As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferredembodiments of the present invention are illustrative of the presentinvention rather than limiting of the present invention. It is intendedthat various modifications and similar arrangements be included withinthe spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which shouldbe accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and similar structures.

1. A sliding flat panel display and keyboard module, comprising: anL-shaped supporting frame having a vertical plane and a horizontalplane, wherein the vertical plane is permanently perpendicular to thehorizontal plane; a vertical sliding rail configured on the verticalplane of the L-shaped supporting frame; a horizontal sliding railconfigured on the horizontal plane of the L-shaped supporting frame; aflat panel display coupling to the vertical sliding rail to move alongthe L-shaped supporting frame horizontally, wherein the flat paneldisplay further includes a positioning switch controlling a positioningpin, and the positioning pin inserts into a positioning hole on thevertical sliding rail when the flat panel display is retrieved; and akeyboard coupling to the horizontal sliding rail to move along theL-shaped supporting frame horizontally.
 2. The sliding flat paneldisplay and keyboard module of claim 1, wherein the L-shaped supportingframe further couples to a server rack.
 3. The sliding flat paneldisplay and keyboard module of claim 1, wherein the horizontal slidingrail further comprises a positioning mechanism disposed at a rearportion of the keyboard to lock the keyboard in a predetermined positionwhen the keyboard is drawn out.
 4. The sliding flat panel display andkeyboard module of claim 3, wherein the positioning mechanism comprisesa spring piece and a positioning slot, and the spring piece couples tothe positioning slot when the keyboard reaches the predeterminedposition.
 5. The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module of claim1, wherein the keyboard further comprises a linking plate to link thekeyboard with the flat panel display while drawing out the keyboard. 6.The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module of claim 1, whereinthe keyboard further comprises a roller disposed on a surface of thekeyboard to support further the flat panel display.
 7. The sliding flatpanel display and keyboard module of claim 1, further comprising apositioning switch and a positioning hole, the positioning hole beingdisposed at a front portion of the vertical sliding rail and thepositioning switch on the flat panel display coupling to the positioninghole when the flat panel display is drawn out.
 8. The sliding flat paneldisplay and keyboard module of claim 1, wherein an open angle betweenthe flat panel display and the keyboard is greater than about 90 degreeswhen the flat panel display is drawn out and opened upwardly.
 9. Thesliding flat panel display and keyboard module of claim 8, wherein theopen angle is about 95-97 degrees.
 10. The sliding flat panel displayand keyboard module of claim 1, wherein a width of the horizontalsliding rail is greater than a thickness of the keyboard.
 11. Thesliding flat panel display and keyboard module of claim 1, wherein aheight of the vertical sliding rail is greater than a thickness of theflat panel display.
 12. A rack-mounted KVM switch for configuring on aserver rack, the server rack-mounted KVM switch comprising: a flat paneldisplay; a keyboard; a KVM switch module disposed behind the flat paneldisplay and the keyboard; a first sliding rail; and a second slidingrail permanently perpendicular to the first sliding rail, the flat paneldisplay sliding along the first sliding rail on the server rack and thekeyboard sliding along the second sliding rail on the server rack;wherein the flat panel display further includes a positioning switchcontrolling a positioning pin, and the positioning pin inserts into apositioning hole on the first sliding rail when the flat panel displayis retrieved.
 13. The server rack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12,further comprising an L-shaped supporting frame, wherein the L-shapedsupporting frame and the first sliding rail couple the flat paneldisplay to the server rack, and the L-shaped supporting frame and thesecond sliding rail couple the keyboard to the server rack.
 14. Theserver rack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12, wherein the server rack is a1U server rack.
 15. The server rack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12,wherein an open angle between the flat panel display and the keyboard isgreater than 90 degrees when the flat panel display is drawn out andopened upwardly.
 16. The server rack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12,wherein the open angle is about 95-97 degrees.
 17. The serverrack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12, wherein a width of the secondsliding rail is greater than a thickness of the keyboard.
 18. The serverrack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12, wherein a height of the firstsliding rail is greater than a thickness of the flat panel display. 19.The server rack-mounted KVM switch of claim 12, wherein the keyboardfurther comprises a linking plate to link the keyboard with the flatpanel display while drawing out the keyboard.